


Lost in the Woods

by KibaSin



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Drama, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Romance, Spirits, Wilderness Survival
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:00:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23830450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KibaSin/pseuds/KibaSin
Summary: Their vacation gone awry, Kyoya quickly finds himself struggling with the reality that there is a whole other world hidden just behind the veil that his girlfriend seems to be intimately involved with. Lost and alone. Hunter and prey. Will he learn to take her hand or perish in the woods? [Kagome x Kyoya]
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/Ootori Kyouya
Comments: 10
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter 1

I am taking some liberties with the national forests in Japan with this piece. Compared to trekking across feudal era, modern day areas would seem like a walk in the park (quite literally) for our dear Kagome without doing so.

* * *

The whirling blades overhead sent stray locks of hair whipping in every direction, and he noticed the way her fingers tightened around the strap of her shoulder bag the moment he stepped up into the cabin. Chuckling softly at the tentative expression, never having known her to be afraid of anything, the young Ootori boy held out his hand with a reassuring look of his own. His voice heightened to overpower the gusting wind surrounding them both, he yelled, "Everything will be fine, Kagome."

Eyeing the modern day death trap, Higurashi Kagome yelled back, "Kyoya, I _really_ just don't know about this." It seemed absolutely _silly_ to be taking a helicopter the rest of the way to Niigata in the first place, and she knew from the way his lip tilted that he had caught the little internal jab as her face shifted.

His eyes softened at the way she shuffled her feet, her dark blue eyes fixating on the spinning blades above them, and felt his chest tighten with the sudden need to protect her. "I'll be right beside you the _whole_ time," he told her. His liquid gaze focusing on the way she bit her lip at the sentence, he released a little sound drowned out by the helicopter at how cute she looked in that moment. " _Trust me_."

"I don't understand why we can't take a car like _normal_ people," she pouted. No matter how many times he assured her that the view was absolutely to die for, she knew that there was no way to possibly tell the Ootori boy that she just did _not_ feel safe without the warm, comforting feel of a red dyed kimono clutched between her fingers at such a height. At least not without sounding crazy, that was, and no matter how much she knew he loved her, she was still fairly certain Kyoya would try to put her in a straight jacket if she started going on about time travel and sacred jewels.

The dark, looming chasm of metal and teeth beckoned her at the sight of him holding out his hand, asking her to trust him, and she bit her lip harder in an attempt to take on some level of that same confidence he exuded. The whirling death machine could not save her in the event of an unlikely fall, but as she tightened her grip on her shoulder bag like a lifeline, she tried desperately to remind herself that she was not helpless.

At least not anymore.

"It's perfectly safe," Kyoya smiled, allowing his features to melt into a tender expression he reserved exclusively for her on rare occasions. The familiar wash of color across her nose only softened the look, as he finally stepped down from the cabin to approach her. She really was just _too_ cute, and he felt the obsessive need to make certain she felt safe with him. Settling his hand onto her cheek, feeling her lean into the palm without hesitation, he gently bumped her nose with his own in a playful manner. "Tachibana assured me that he and Aijima double checked the fuel _and_ the flight path _and_ the weather, and Hotta is the best pilot that I know. He'll make sure that we arrive safely. There's nothing to worry about, Kagome."

Looking down and away from him, the cool feel of his glasses caressing the bridge of her nose, she said, "Yeah, _but…_ Tachibana-san and Aijima-san are both going to be driving the rest of the way. Why can't we just go with them instead?"

"Flying cuts the time nearly in half." He chuckled, lowering his lashes as he said, "You wouldn't want to keep the _onsen_ waiting, would you?"

Releasing a strangled sound at the mention of the hot spring resort his family had recently opened, Kagome considered the possibility of _actually_ stepping willingly into that monstrosity behind him. If not for that one fateful meeting that had landed her with the Ootori's third son after finally reuniting with her feudal era friends nearly a year and a half ago, she knew that she would _never_ have put herself into the situation otherwise. _"But…"_

"I'm right here." Kyoya listened to her hum in appreciation at the quick, chaste kiss he pressed to the corner of her mouth, as he gently led her closer to the helicopter. His hand slipping down to take her own, he laced their fingers together and squeezed reassuringly when he took the step back up into the cabin awaiting them. "It's okay. I won't leave you."

Her pupils dilated, and the Higurashi girl had to stomp down the nagging, twisting feeling that developed in the pit of her stomach as she stared up into the awaiting abyss of metal and machine. Sending a silent prayer to whatever deity might be watching over her for the day, she slowly smiled up at the calm, collected face of her boyfriend and gave a small, tentative nod. This was _his_ world, after all, and she did not doubt that his three bodyguards had taken every precaution to assure that they would remain safe during the trip.

 _It's fine, everything's fine_ , but that nagging feeling refused to leave even with the mantra.

Kyoya pulled her up into the cabin beside him with relative ease, tightening his hold on her hand when she twisted her head toward the cockpit. Tipping her head back in his direction, he held her flickering gaze and hoped that her anxiety would lessen once they were in the air. As adorable as she looked in that moment, he did not want her experiencing that level of uncertainty the entire time before they touched down. "We'll be there before you know it," he smirked, "and then you can fling yourself into the first available _onsen_ that catches your eye."

Puffing out her cheeks slightly, Kagome tried to relax the death grip she had on her shoulder bag as Kyoya helped her lower it slowly to the ground and kicked it halfway under the seat with his foot. "That was _one_ time, Kyoya."

'And I'll _never_ forget it," he chuckled, his eyes twinkling in amusement when the flush returned to her features. Coaxing her down into the seat, he shook his head lightly at the glare she pinned on him, and helped her begin to strap in for the flight. Satisfied once the safety harness was properly in place, he accepted the pair of headphones from Tachibana when the older man stepped up into the cabin to double check the straps himself. "Here," he tucked several strands of her hair back to nestle the equipment neatly over her ears. "Now you're all set."

Allowing Tachibana to tighten and adjust the only available safety net, Kagome found her hands gripping the straps as she watched him turn to help Kyoya buckle up for the flight himself. A pair of identical headphones soon put into place, she called over the intercom system, "It's not too late to take the car, right?" She heard him chuckle back at her, the sound slightly distorted by the equipment, and nervously bit her lip again when her eyes were drawn to the cockpit where Hotta was flicking several buttons into position.

"Ready to go, Kyoya-sama?"

"Whenever you are."

The calm, reassuring presence of the Ootori boy beside her did little to stop the little flip her stomach performed when Tachibana finally stepped from the cabin, Aijima quickly shutting the door behind him with a thumbs up toward the cockpit. A sudden, keen sense of dread washed over her with the realization that they were doing this. It was happening. She had allowed herself to be herded into a flying hunk of metal that was soon going to leave the safety of the ground below, and everyone involved was quickly cutting off every possible means of getting out of the situation before that happened.

 _It's just nerves, it's okay, you're fine. Everything's fine,_ but still that persistent, dreadful drop lingered as the helicopter lifted itself from the safety of the ground.

 _"Hey."_ Kyoya settled his hand onto her clenched fist, and sighed quietly through his nose when she snapped large, unsure eyes in his direction. So used to her fearlessly approaching every given situation throughout the end of high school and into university, he had not taken into consideration that maybe he should have offered her anxiety medicine beforehand. He tightened his fingers around her death grip, slowly trying to get her to let go of the strap and hold his hand instead. "I'm right here."

" _I know_."

She looked like a deer caught in headlights, her voice barely a whisper over the intercom system, and for a brief moment Kyoya wondered if he should have humored her by taking the car when she asked. The helicopter ride had been the most logical choice, however. The direct route not only cut down on the time necessary to reach the resort, but the view of the national forest they were scheduled to fly over was something he knew would delight her if she would just relax for a moment.

He had hoped she would consider the thoughtful appeal toward her love of nature romantic. The miles and miles of lush greenery was supposed to attract her eye, cause her to gasp softly, while the steady incline of adrenaline from the initial take off was supposed to attract her more to _him._ He had spent a good quarter of a month calculating and planning the flight path, even going as far as to make several calls to Tamaki for his and Haruhi's opinion, but he had not anticipated her sudden fear of flying when she seemed unbothered by heights.

Managing to get her to take his hand, Kyoya kissed her knuckles softly and pressed the smooth skin against his cheek. His gut twisted when those wide, quivering orbs only flickered toward the cockpit, and wondered if he could salvage the situation without getting a tongue lashing about _never_ taking another helicopter ride for as long as they lived once they touched down. He closed his eyes, feeling his glasses shift when he tilted his head further into her warm embrace, and found himself at a loss of words on how to comfort her. "I'm _right_ here. I'm not going anywhere."

Sucking in a breath at the feel of his lips brushing a kiss against the palm of her hand, Kagome lowered her gaze and felt a smile break through the unsettling feeling that demanded her attention with each passing minute. Cupping his cheek fully when he released her hand in favor of settling his own comfortably on her knee, she tried to calm herself by combing back the stray strands of hair obscuring his face from her view. The cool feel of his glasses was a welcome balm with each gentle brush, and she adjusted them back into place on his nose as he watched her through half lidded orbs.

His eyes melting into a liquid silver coloration, she felt herself start to flush as that lingering little feeling of unease was quickly overpowered by the purely feminine rush that swept through her. She pushed on his cheek playfully when she noticed him starting to smirk, no doubt having caught the way she had clenched her thighs suddenly, and found herself lightly laughing into the earpiece. "You're _such_ a jerk!"

He did not deny it, only tilting his head in a nod against her fingers. Pleased by the way she slowly released the other strap from the death grip turning her knuckles white, he lightly pressed another kiss against her wrist. The tiny sound she made was inaudible through the headphones, but the smirk tilting his lip fully formed at the sight of her mouth falling open when she made it. He shifted, his lips sliding down her arm to press another kiss lower, and felt his own heart quicken at the cool feel of his saliva lingering on her flesh as it brushed against his face.

 _"Ah."_ Though she fluttered her eyes toward the cockpit out of embarrassment, she quickly had to stomp on the insistent, dreadful twist of her stomach when she saw Hotta reach up briefly to touch the corner of his eye through the available opening. "Stop it, Kyoya."

Chuckling when she snatched her hand back, the Ootori boy was quick to lean into her before she had the chance to fully retreat. The proximity spread the color across her face, and he smiled a little knowing that she half expected him to try and kiss her despite the equipment holding him securely at bay. He pointed out the window instead, saying, "Look, Kagome, you can see Mount Asama from here."

Her eyes finally drawn to the window, she released that soft, endearing gasp he had been seeking and reached out a hand to press against the plexiglass separating them from the view. Little dots of civilization cut through the greenery surrounding the area, but the glittering white cap atop the volcano demanded attention across the distance. Smiling at the sight, Kagome turned back toward Kyoya with the slow realization that he had purposely distracted her so she could enjoy the scenery passing them by. "It's _beautiful."_

Those liquid silver orbs still positively molten, Kyoya told her, "Not nearly as beautiful as _you."_

Unable to stop the pleased little laugh that resulted, she scoffed and playfully pushed on his cheek again with two fingers. "You think you're awfully _charming,_ don't you, _Ootori-san?"_ she giggled, batting her eyes up at him mockingly. "Shouldn't you at least serve me tea before you try and make me swoon?"

" _Think I'm charming?_ " Shaking his head at her antics, he pushed up his glasses slightly to readjust them and continued, "Why, _Higurashi-san,_ I _know_ I'm awfully charming. It must be terribly difficult for you to resist."

"You haven't been a host for nearly six months now, and you're still..."

 _"Hm?"_ Kyoya frowned at the way her head whipped back to the cockpit, the sentence trailing off as she focused her attention toward the front. "Kagome?"

Something was wrong.

Something was terribly, _terribly_ wrong.

Concerned by the panic that flashed across her face, Kyoya frowned, "Are you a—?" The helicopter unexpectedly jerked roughly to one side, causing him to smack his head against the back of the leather seat. Attempting to shake off the flare of pain that erupted in his temple, the Ootori boy turned his own attention toward the cockpit. His voice harsh, he demanded, "Hotta, what in the _world_ are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, Kyoya-sama, I'm trying to—" he cut himself off with a loud, frightened sound that made Kyoya's eyes widen, never having heard such a noise leave one of his trusted bodyguards.

The machine turned halfway on its side, veering in the opposite direction, as Kagome leaned forward against the straps holding her in place. "Hotta-san!" she shouted into the earpiece, ignoring the way Kyoya's head snapped in her direction at the piercing noise. She felt her power swirl beneath the surface, and desperately started tearing at the equipment holding her down knowing that she would need to transfer the energy directly to cut off the sudden swell of _youki_ pressing against her senses. "It isn't _real!"_

 _Fuck,_ she was so _fucking_ stupid! It had never been the _flight_ that had caused that dreadful nagging in her stomach, and she had stupidly _fucking_ ignored it!

Managing to unlatch herself, the Higurashi girl only took one step before she was jostled roughly in the opposite direction. The headphones ripped from her head, having forgotten about them entirely, she grunted when she tripped over Kyoya's leg and hit the side of the helicopter with a pained cry.

 _"Kagome!"_ Kyoya felt fear lance through him at the sight, as he started to fumble with the latch to unhook himself when she raised one hand to her forehead and came away with a trail of blood. Already suspecting a concussion from the blow, he bared his teeth until the blasted contraption holding him down finally relinquished its hold.

Shaking her head, Kagome tried to clear the spots in her vision when she felt Kyoya's hand settle onto her shoulder. Opening her mouth to ask him what in the _world_ he thought he was doing out of his harness, she yelped instead when she was sent tumbling into him back toward her own seat with another sudden jerk.

The wind knocked out of him, his glasses hanging at a crooked angle, Kyoya released a hiss at the pain that radiated from his side. Clutching onto the warm, solid, struggling form of Kagome only made it worse, as he found himself desperately shouting into the pair of headphones that had smacked him in the side of the face. " _Hotta, put this blasted plane down!_ "

Startled by the sound that Kyoya made in her ear when she pressed against him to try and get away, Kagome turned her head sharply in his direction to watch as he clenched his teeth. _A broken rib_ , she immediately realized, before whipping her head back toward the front when the swell of _youki_ tightened like a coil around Kyoya's trusted bodyguard. "Kyoya, you have to…!"

His fingers only tightened around her at the sudden, unexpected sound of Hotta _screaming_ from the cockpit. His pupils dilated with the noise, the pain momentarily forgotten, as he felt his throat tighten and it became difficult to breathe for an entirely different reason. _"...Hotta?"_ Kyoya whispered, his voice small and fearful when the scream turned into a gargled, indescribable plea over the headphones leaning against his face.

_"Hotta-san!"_

The noise resonating through the cabin was abruptly silenced, as the helicopter tipped at an angle that rolled them both forward and into the available seat against the separation wall. His back protesting from the continued abuse, Kyoya yelped when Kagome's shoulder bag slid out from under the seat and landed heavily on the arm he had wrapped around her head. His nails roughly digging into the little cut on her forehead, he brushed several wayward strands of hair from her face out of habit at her resulting hiss, and felt his heart nearly stop when their positioning caught up with him at the desperate, panicked look she gave him.

They were heading _down._

_Down.._

_Down…._

" _Oh god…_ " he choked.

_They were going to die._

Moisture clouding his vision with the sudden reality, Kyoya attempted to hold Kagome closer as he whispered her name. His dilated, quivering orbs trying to take in every little detail of her face, he blinked and sent a few cascading tears rushing over the swell of his cheek. A watery, gasping laugh escaped him then, as he swore his mind was playing tricks on him when those dark cerulean eyes he loved faintly started to glow from within. Unsure if she could hear him with his voice so small, he said, " _You're so beautiful._ "

_"Kyoya…"_

Hiccuping at the call of his name, he shook his head when he felt the helicopter jerk violently. No doubt the wing had clipped the edge of the canopy. He buried his face into her luscious raven colored locks, soaking in the scent of her, and tried to keep her as secured as possible when the entire cabin spun with the motion.

"Kyoya, it's _okay."_

Her voice was louder in his ear, as her warm hand settled onto the back of his neck. The Ootori boy sucked in an unexpected sob, his nose twitching from the way her hair floated with the downward movement, and wished that that were true. That it would be okay. That they would be okay. _But…_

They should have taken the _damned_ car.

Her fingers pulling his head back, Kagome smiled lovingly into those slowly widening gray eyes when Kyoya finally blinked up at her. "We're going to be _okay,"_ she told him, as she tuned out the sound of crushing metal and teeth swelling up around them. "I'm _right_ here. _I won't leave you_."

_She's… glowing..._

She _really_ was… his mind had not been...

Then the world exploded.

A chaotic clash of raining metal, scorching fire, and a brilliant blue light that kept it steadily at bay.

Kyoya felt his eyes roll back in the confusion, and then everything was black.

* * *

 **Note:** Guys, I'm always working on like five things at once, in case you ever wonder why in the world it takes me so long to update sometimes. Whoopsie!

_Please review!_


	2. Chapter 2

His lungs burned with the sudden, desperate need for air, as he coughed repeatedly. The heavy, repetitive motion aggravated his side, and the sharp, stabbing pain quickly brought the world back into focus as he blinked open weary, tired gray eyes. The crack across one lense disoriented him after a moment, forcing him to squeeze his lids tightly shut against the refracting light, as he felt his entire body convulse uncontrollably with another series of coughs.

_Where am I…? Is this… the onsen…?_

No.

That… that was not…

_Where…?_

" _K_ a… o _me_ ," he wheezed, instinctively stretching out one hand across the cold, unforgiving ground to blindly search for the missing young woman. A gasp of pain from the movement quickly had the hand retreating, fingers pressing lightly against the battered, aching flesh that flared in protest to the gentle probing. " _Ah," ...a broken rib most likely_ , he assessed, his teeth clenching together when the soft sound hissed between them.

Why… why would he have…?

Cracking open one eye only sharpened the resonating headache beginning to form behind his lids, and he slowly rolled his head to one side in an attempt to block out the harsh light. His tongue scraping across chapped, dry lips, he softly murmured, _"Ka…_ go _me_ ," and promptly fell into another coughing fit that further irritated his throat.

_Where was she, though…? Where…?_

She should have…

They should have been… _the car..._

_Where…?_

_"Kyoya."_

Dilated, quivering orbs snapped open at the call of his own name, the rapidly spinning and disoriented world narrowing down to the singular view of scuffed, dirty shoes appearing in his line of sight. Blinking repeatedly, he attempted to make out the rest of her hazy, highlighted outline as the beaming sunlight illuminated her until she took a step forward and cast a welcoming shadow across his face that dulled the pounding headache.

 _God,_ she was so _beautiful,_ but why…?

_She's… gray…?_

" _Ka_ go… _me_." He choked on the sound of his own coughing, fingers pressing instinctively against the ache in his side and forcing another hiss from his lips when the pain only worsened. He would have laughed at the way she suddenly fell to her knees with the noise if he could have, fretting over him immediately with softly glowing hands.

_Why are her…?_

Those sure, glowing fingers gently caressed the nape of his neck, pillowing his head against her lap, and he released a quiet, grateful sigh when the pounding headache quickly began to recede. His entire body sagged with relief at the feel of her brushing aside his bangs out of habit, as the stabbing pain in his side became little more than a dull, forgotten ache with each passing touch. His eyes slipping closed, he tilted his head further into the warm embrace of her gentle hands and allowed a peaceful huff to escape him when he felt like he could breathe again.

_I love you so much._

Quietly, basking in her calm, reassuring presence, he confessed his heart's desire. "Stay with me."

_…marry me, please._

Wet, hot droplets landed heavily on his temple, his cheek, and he blinked at the feel of them quickly carving a scorching path across his face. Turning his creased brow in her direction, he felt his heart clench unexpectedly at the sight of her shimmering blue eyes filled with tears and those tiny droplets spilling forth with every flutter of her lashes. Catching her fingers before she had the chance to cover her mouth, he pressed the warm digits against the side of his face and felt his mouth open several times in his confusion. _"Kagome?"_

Was she…?

 _No,_ surely not. She _loved_ him. Why would she… say _no?_

"I'm sorry," she choked.

His pupils shrinking with the soft apology, he felt the sudden need to laugh uncontrollably as moisture gathered along the edge of his eyes.

_She… she…_

"I'm _so_ sorry, Kyoya." She shook her head, a curtain of raven colored locks shifting and hiding her faintly phosphorescent gaze from his view. Her shoulders shook in her grief and despair, as she said, "I'm so sorry I couldn't save him."

_"...what?"_

She was not… of course, _she loved him._

_But who…?_

" _I'm so sorry_."

A cascade of tiny droplets fell into his hair, along his temple, as he slowly shifted himself to brush aside the tumbling waves of hair blocking him from her sudden anguish. His heart twisting with the need to comfort her, he wiped his thumb along the tracks painted across the canvas of her ash covered cheek.

She smelled like _smoke._

_...like fire._

He felt his breath hitch.

They… _they had…_

The helicopter…

_The crash._

_Hotta._

The world tilted uncomfortably then, his stomach twisting, as his mind slowly caught up with the rest of his aching body. His trembling fingers pressed tight against his mouth when the first heave rushed through him, the second almost overwhelming, as flashes of caving, contorted metal rushed in at him from all sides. He barely managed to turn away, flopping rather unceremoniously in a sudden, desperate scramble for space, before he proceeded to lose what was left of his lunch.

_"Hey."_

His stomach lurched forward in response to the coughing fit that followed, his body attempting to rid itself of the revolting taste left behind in his mouth. Kyoya groaned low in his throat, the whole world continuing to spin uncontrollably, as he felt Kagome's soft, reassuring touch draw him away from the mess. The erratic beat of his heart evened out with each brush of her fingers, her warm embrace wrapping tight around his shoulders as her cheek settled against his temple, but the faint trembling of his limbs refused to subside when his gaze narrowed in upon the shadowed treeline surrounding them.

 _They were…_ _they had almost..._

"It's okay. It's _okay."_

_But… but..._

He nearly choked on the sound, as he whispered, _"Hotta."_

" _I'm so sorry, Kyoya._ "

A curtain of black shifted to block the world from his sight with a simple shake of her head, and he felt the first few lines of moisture streak over the swell of his cheek when she began to gently rock him. Choking in a sob only made the trembling worse, even as he managed to snake one arm around her back to pull her as close as humanly possible in an attempt to ground himself. The heavy scent of fire and ash filled his nose when he buried his face into the crook of her neck, and he could not stop the torrent of heavy droplets that fell with the very real possibility that he could have lost her, too.

_They both could be…_

"I love you," he whispered. His other hand found purchase in her dirty shorts, and he sucked in an unexpected laugh when he remembered how she had argued adamantly with him this morning about the fundamentals of a good pair of shorts when she had found him wearing pants. He shook his head at the stupid little thought, feeling like he was going crazy, and silently told himself that he probably was. Considering the image of her softly glowing against a fire lit backdrop that his mind conquered forth when she pulled his head away to smile warmly down at him through her own tears, he was almost certain of it.

Her lips pressed against his temple, her nose nudging aside his bangs, and she pushed up his cracked glasses ever so slightly when she laid a reassuring hand on his cheek. "I love you, too, Kyoya," she breathed, peppering a round of kisses across the edge of his glasses and down his cheek. Her voice cracked a little, the unending flow of tears only seemingly getting worse at the sight of him broken and crying within her embrace, as she said, "I love you _so_ much."

The Ootori boy turned his head then, his breath coming a little easier, and he almost found it too easy to laugh at the mistake he had almost made earlier in his confusion. Knowing that she no doubt thought he was going absolutely bonkers at the tiny sound, he leaned forward with the clear intention to drive away the thought and reassure himself that this was not a dream.

She was _alive._

Both of them were _alive._

Kagome pulled away almost immediately, making a face that bordered on disgusted.

 _"Kagome?"_ he asked quietly, leaning back in, as his brow creased downward in confusion.

 _"Ew."_ She laughed through her tears then, shaking her head at him, as she started to try and wipe away the sea of moisture that had cut through the layer of gray covering her cheek. The laughter quickly died away, though, even as she allowed a small, tired smile to settle heavily onto her lip. "No, sorry. Please _don't._ You just, _well,_ you probably taste like…"

_Vomit._

_"Ah,_ of course."

_"Sorry."_

Pushing at the edge of his glasses to readjust them higher up onto his nose, Kyoya only shook his head and decided quietly that he might actually be going crazy. He wiped furiously at his eyes then, sniffling a little, and finally felt like some semblance of himself despite the faint tremble that still shook his fingertips. "How long was I unconscious for?" he asked, keeping his eyes low to the ground with the knowledge that somewhere nearby was whatever was left of what might have been their demise. Just like it had been for… _for Hotta_. His head bowed lower with the thought of his trusted bodyguard, and he had to bite his lip when it brought back the quaking in his limbs.

"A while. I'm not really sure," Kagome replied softly. Her fingers wrapped tight around his neck, pulling him close once more when she felt his hand begin to shake uncontrollably again. He latched onto her like a lifeline with the shift, his body shivering as he tried to keep it in, and she felt a new wave of tears drip onto the crown of his head at how much he was hurting. "I was trying to, _well,"_ she tightened her grip, trying to keep him steady, "I wasn't really sure if you'd want to… _to say goodbye_. Hotta-san was… He meant a lot to both of us."

His heart felt like it was in his throat, as he tried to ask, "Do… do you think he…"

_...suffered?_

_"No."_ She rubbed her cheek against him when she shook her head lightly, trying to keep her voice even with conviction as she spoke. "No, I don't think he did."

A few more stray droplets leaked from the corner of his eye, as he whispered, "That's _good._ He… he didn't deserve…" Kyoya grit his teeth, unable to finish the sentence in its entirety, as he felt the raw, harrowed desire to pound his fist against the ground until his knuckles were bleeding swell up within his chest. It was all _his_ fault, after all. _They should have taken the goddamn car._ If he had just put aside his aspirations and given into Kagome's insecurity, favoring her plea for the familiarity of four wheels turning beneath them, then this never would have happened.

Hotta would still be alive, and they would still be well on their way to Niigata.

"I know. I _know."_ Kagome sighed lightly, already knowing where his mind had wandered from the way he fisted his hand and drew away from her slightly. She pressed her fingers against his cheek, gently drawing his muddled gray gaze back up, before brushing aside several strands of hair that had fallen into his eyes. "It's not your fault, Kyoya. It's _not,_ okay? Nobody…" She shut her eyes tightly, trying to shake away the remaining tears with a tilt of her head, as her lip became a thin, downward curl at the thought. "Nobody could have _known."_

. _..but she should have._

He shook his head, his gaze returning to the ground below.

Guilt swept through her with the withdrawal, as she finally lifted her dark colored eyes toward the surrounding forest. The faint, lingering feel of _youki_ still pressed against her senses, but she knew that the demon was long gone. She would have already purified it to hell and back if it had not retreated already, and her gaze hardened with the knowledge that she would need to stay vigilant for when it finally circled back.

It may have fooled her _once,_ but she would be damned if it did so again.

Kagome tightened her grip around Kyoya then, blinking away the last of the tears finally, as she glared heatedly into the tranquil, darkened wood. The sound of birds chirping filled the silence, a tree creaking somewhere in the distance with the gentle breeze, and she felt a deep seated foreboding settle in the pit of her stomach. The sense that they were most likely being watched was a familiar threat that she had long ago become accustomed to, but the vulnerability she felt knowing that Kyoya was an easy target was entirely new.

While rather sensitive to her own spiritual power, she knew that the Ootori boy was not aware of how he soaked up the energy like a sponge every time she brushed away a wayward headache. Like a bright beacon of light within the shadows he so liked to tread, she had suspected for some time that he may have been a monk in a past life. The resounding purity in his soul echoed a familiar tune, and perhaps that song had been cultivated and trained until it simply became a part of him that he had carried on to his next life.

Sensitivity, though, meant very little when it came to claws and teeth. In the past, demons had had no remorse snuffing out a holy light before it had the chance to become a threat. If it meant one less person with the potential for spiritual awareness, there had often been no hesitation. She had seen her fair share of young, untrained souls who had never found proper guidance, and had lost that bright eyed stare yearning for so much more as the life drained from them.

She would _not_ lose Kyoya, though.

She would be _damned_ if it so much as laid a finger on him.

_One person was enough already._

"We should… _we should pay our respects._ "

Meeting Kyoya's muddled gray eyes once he lifted his gaze, Kagome felt her heart twist at the thought even as she gave him a small, soothing smile in the hopes of bolstering the determination reflected in his stare. The quiet, respectable bodyguard had been a _good man_ , having been a constant shadow since Kyoya was only a boy, and she knew that he was going to need every ounce of strength she could possibly offer when he finally saw… _when he saw…_

There was no preparing _anyone_ for the wreckage that awaited.

 _When I find you, I'm going to make you regret this._ Her dark colored eyes drifted back to the surrounding forest with the silent vow, as she ground her teeth and helped Kyoya back onto his feet slowly. His face set into a series of hard, determined lines in an effort to hide behind an indifference mask, his hand wiping away the few trailing lines of moisture that remained, she felt the flickering anger in her chest blossom into a raging inferno. _For what you did to Hotta-san. To us. You're going to wish you never met_ me. _That's a_ promise.

Watching him closely, she quickly took his trembling hand when it became apparent that his feet refused to move once they were back underneath him. Quietly offering him her support, Kagome leaned her forehead against his dirty jacket and felt his other hand drift into her hair to keep her there. "I'm right here."

Attempting to swallow the lump in his throat, Kyoya replied, " _I know_."

"I'll _always_ be right here." Rubbing her forehead against him lightly, she said, "I love you."

"You still won't kiss me, though, will you?" The Ootori boy honestly could not tell whether he wanted to actually know or if he was simply trying to stall an extra moment before he faced the truth. He suspected it was the latter, despite the broken chuckle that escaped him when she focused those lovely orbs on him and wrinkled her nose at the suggestion. "Is that a no?"

"Until you rinse your mouth out, _yeah,_ it's _definitely_ a no, Kyoya," she retorted.

"It was worth a try."

_"Sure."_

Reaching up to adjust his cracked glasses out of habit, Kyoya sighed as he forced his head to turn slightly in the opposite direction. Stalling was not going to change the fact that Hotta… _that he had_ … His eyes firmly set on the ground, he briefly noted the flattened grass where Kagome had obviously dragged him across the ground. His heart immediately sputtered at the sight of that patch of damaged greenery, and he clenched his teeth as he tried to mentally prepare himself for what might lay beyond it. He suspected blood and mayhem, but the fact that they had made it out alive tempered the image until all he could think about was Hotta… _going through the windshield._

_No._

They had probably hit a tree that had slowed their descent, and _then Hotta hit his head on the…_

" _Damn it._ " Kyoya clenched his free hand, feeling the sudden, overwhelming need to pound his fist against something hard and solid swell up inside him again. A tree, maybe. This should _not_ have happened. They should be safe and sound in Niigata. Hotta should be _alive._ Another wayward tear fell from the corner of his eye, and he felt the cracks in his mask forming when Kagome's warm embrace wrapped around his waist. " _Damn it all_."

"It's _okay_ if it's too soon," she told him softly. She certainly would not fault him for needing a moment to mourn first, though she would prefer if they had better coverage and positioning for when the time came.

_He needed to know, though._

"It's _okay."_

_"No."_

_"Kyoya…"_

The quiet, bubbling rage fueling him, the Ootori boy forcibly swept his gaze up and felt his heart come to an abrupt halt. He sucked in a desperate, shuddering sound at the sight, feeling the color drain from his face at the twisted carnage of metal. Wrapped brutally around a massive tree, the cockpit completely smashed and the tail boom laying awkwardly to one side, it looked as if the cabin had ballooned from the inside. _As if…_

_A brilliant blue light… she… she was…_

_No._

That was _not_ possible.

_They should be..._

"How… how… _did we…?"_

Kagome felt her brow crease downward in that moment, as she watched the conflicting emotions filter across his face. Had she bumped his head when she moved him? Maybe he was still confused from the initial pain he had awoken to, but surely he _knew_ her secret now. _Unless..._ he thought he had imagined it? A frown formed on her lips with the thought, as she finally asked, "Do… do you not remember?"

"Remember?" Kyoya turned his wide, startled gaze in her direction. _It's not possible,_ he told himself as he looked at her. _It's not possible. People don't glow. Kagome didn't magically save us._

_But, a broken rib… Sure, glowing fingers..._

No.

_No._

He was just… he was _confused._

The crash, the trauma, and… and _Hotta..._

 _"Hey."_ Managing to keep him on his feet when he swayed, Kagome placed a hand on his cheek the moment it looked like he was about to start hyperventilating. His dilated pupils quivered back at her, and she tapped him a few times to shake him from the sudden shock. "We're _alive,_ okay. That's all that matters. We're _alive,_ Kyoya."

"We're _alive,"_ he echoed back faintly. "But, _you..._ people _don't…"_

 _Definitely thinks he imagined it_ , she quietly sighed to herself. She could not say she blamed him, honestly, considering she might have thought the same thing if the roles were reversed. Only one of them had had the pleasure of transversing time and space itself in order to put back together a broken jewel, after all, and it was not like she had a booklet on how to properly introduce your boyfriend to the supernatural lying around. _What a mess.._.

His eyes drifting back to the wreckage in the sudden silence, he felt his stomach do another nasty flip. Covering his mouth almost immediately when the rolling sensation traveled up his chest and into his throat, he took a step away from her and stumbled a little. One hand braced on his knee, he shuddered and groaned when the heave resulted in little more than a foul tasting cough. "I-I think I need to sit down again."

"Okay, _okay._ Let's sit down over here." Tucking herself up under his arm to help support his weight, Kagome tilted her head in the direction she wanted to go. She shifted her feet when he swayed a little more, firmly planting herself before they both toppled over, and continued to gently coax him away from the chaos. "There's a, _uh,_ really nice tree we can lean against, and… _and,_ well…"

Almost laughing at the thought of a _really nice tree,_ Kyoya shook his head and lifted his gaze in that direction. He saw it then, the unmistakable little pile of stones. Arranged in a neat, circular fashion, it was undoubtedly a makeshift grave marker that she had placed a collection of wild flowers neatly in the center of. The tiny piece of reality settled like a rock in the pit of his upset stomach, and he felt his ears burn slightly when Kagome caught him from tripping over his own two feet. _"Hotta."_

"I couldn't… I… he's just…" Trying to fight the new onslaught of tears threatening to fall, Kagome quickly shook away the one awful memory she knew she would carry with her for the rest of her life at the sight of the little wildflowers swaying with the gentle breeze. That horrifyingly sickening _crunch_ was the one thing she was grateful Kyoya had fallen unconscious for at the time, if nothing else.

"I-it's _okay."_ Kyoya tightened his arm around her when the first droplet fell from the corner of her eye, and hoped desperately that she knew he understood without her having to say it. _There was no way to get him out._ That was obvious just from the… from how it looked, and he felt his stomach lurch with the very real possibility that she had contemplated _trying_ while he was unconscious. It was _reckless, irresponsible_ , he could go on, but he supposed it was better than being _useless_ and _half dead_ given the circumstances. "I think he'd like it."

"I _hope_ so. I really hope so."

"I like it," he told her softly. It was small and slightly tilted, but it was entirely _her._ He was certain that Hotta would have appreciated the thoughtful gesture, maybe even loved it, considering he had never known the man to desire overly frivolous things in life. "My father will probably have a memorial put up in his honor later, but I think Hotta would have liked this _more."_

Unlike a large, cold slab of marble, the tiny circle of stones held _life._

They held _meaning._

Helping him slowly sink to the ground next to the little grave marker, Kagome wiped furiously at her eyes until she was positive that the moisture had finally been vanquished. She had cried _enough_ already, and it was not going to help either of them if she could not remain strong and absolute against the danger lurking somewhere in the dark. Hotta was sadly _gone,_ but Kyoya was still very much _alive._ Disoriented, confused and apparently in utter disbelief to everything he had seen, the very sight of him bowing his head silently toward the makeshift grave sent a new rush of white hot fury through her veins to overpower the sorrow.

 _I'll make you pay for this_ , she vowed, before patting away a few feet silently to pick up the rest of the forgotten wildflowers she had left scattered nearby. The tiny blossoms clutched tightly between her fingers, she knelt quietly beside the Ootori boy as he muttered a soft, broken prayer over the stones. Her fingers brushed slightly against his dirty jacket when she was certain he was finished, catching his attention, and she offered him the bundle of wildflowers with what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "I'm sorry that we can't do more."

Kyoya shook his head, saying, "This is more than enough given… _the circumstances_."

_No._

It was _never_ enough.

Her head bowed in the silence that followed, and she sucked in a shuddering breath as she quietly remembered all the graves she had helped dig time and again five hundred years ago. All the forgotten faces she had buried with Sango. All the unknown names she had been quietly despaired to have never learned with Miroku standing diligently by her side. All the searching she had done through each ransacked village alongside Inuyasha and Shippo in the hopes that _someone_ was still alive.

She had failed _so_ many people by shattering that blasted jewel, _and now…_

_"Kagome."_

She was just failing _Kyoya,_ too.

By not being able to save Hotta, she had just… _she had..._

 _"Hey."_ His fingers wrapped tight around her clenched knuckles at the first sign of her shoulders beginning to shake silently, as Kyoya turned his attention away from the tiny makeshift grave marker. Thoroughly stomping all over the way his stomach protested the movement, he pulled her easily into the cradle of his arms, and felt his heart drop at the sound of her quietly sobbing. Softly, his own remaining tears beginning to fall into her ash covered hair, he told her, "It's _enough,_ Kagome. _It's enough_."

" _I'm sorry_ ," she cried. " _I'm so sorry."_

"It's not your fault," Kyoya muttered, rocking her like she had done for him before.

Except it _was._

_She should have been able to save him._

"I'm _sorry._ I'm _so sorry._ "


End file.
